Queues outside hairdressers and bars as venues reopen

People queued outside the Lounge Bar and Just Gents barber shop in Lerwick as pubs, cafes, restaurants and hairdressers reopened to the public.

Seven punters were waiting to get into the Lounge at 11am as it reopened for the first time since March, while there was a queue of people patiently waiting for a trim outside Just Gents, which opened at 9am.

At the Lounge barmaid Senga Priestley said they were “delighted to be back”, but were looking forward to getting back to normal.

The bar is operating with table service only, and with staff in visors.

Games such as darts, dominoes and crib are off the table, while the jukebox is shut off and live sports cannot be shown on the television.

Ms Priestley said they were not able “to do anything that encourages folk to speak louder”, for fear of spreading germs.

Cafes and restaurants opened up as well, with as many as five tables occupied at The Dowry on Wednesday morning.

Staff at The Dowry also wore visors as they served customers, with one-metre social distancing and table service only strictly in force.

Owner Stuart Fox said they had been “encouraged” by the return of regular customers this morning – and were pleased to see around 50 bookings for both Friday and Saturday night.

He said they had taken in “plenty of staff” today, with cleaning of tables and chairs required after each group had left the cafe.